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Monopoly Round-Up: Manipulating the Stock Market Is Trump's War Strategy

BIG by Matt Stoller • 11344 implied HN points • 23 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The administration is actively propping up stock prices as part of its war strategy, timing strikes and public statements to calm investors so political and financial support holds.
  2. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is creating real global supply shocks — big jumps in oil and shortages of things like helium and fertilizer — that are already disrupting flights, hospitals, and manufacturing.
  3. Markets have so far underreacted but are losing faith; short-term manipulation can nudge prices, but it can’t substitute for actually winning on the ground, and the conflict exposes the fragility of the US-centered global order.

Now comes the heat

The Crucial Years • 7892 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. A strong "super" El Niño looks likely and, combined with already record-warm oceans and a powerful heat dome, will drive unprecedented heat, worsening droughts, fires, and chaotic weather over the next year.
  2. Weather and water systems are more vulnerable than ever. Forecasting capabilities have been degraded by data cuts just as snowpacks and reservoirs hit record lows, raising the risk of surprise disasters and real shortages.
  3. Energy politics are amplifying the crisis—war and fossil-fuel leverage are driving up prices while utilities and some politicians push back against rooftop solar and climate laws, even as cheap, flexible solar technologies offer a fast path to cleaner, decentralized power.

THE SWAMP LOG: Dire Strait, Pentagon Bans Cartoons, Little Marco's Big Shoes

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 1934 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The president is pushing allied countries and China to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, since about 20% of the world’s oil passes through it.
  2. Major partners like Japan and Australia have declined and the UK is noncommittal, so China’s decision could make or break a planned summit and put strain on NATO relations.
  3. Iran’s actions are already squeezing global energy supplies, and the narrowness of the strait makes tankers vulnerable to cheap weapons, though a wider crisis has been avoided so far.

A dark and killing cloud over Tehran

The Crucial Years • 6178 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Bombing Tehran’s oil depots created a huge, toxic smoke cloud that acted like chemical warfare, exposing civilians to carcinogens, acidic runoff, and long-term health and environmental harm.
  2. The smoke plunged the city into darkness and caused severe breathing, eye, and skin problems, trapping people who can’t safely go outside or flee and making public protest or daily life nearly impossible.
  3. The strikes reflect a deliberate, cruel strategy that worsens civilian suffering and contradicts stated goals of liberating Iranians, while also strengthening the argument for moving off fossil fuels and pushing for change in American policy.
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How Trump Can Buy Time for His Iran War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 259 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The current campaign against Iran is functioning as a global energy war rather than a traditional territorial conflict, because it directly threatens the oil and gas flows that keep economies running.
  2. Oil prices are the central battleground — spikes quickly translate into pain at the pump and broader economic strain, and disruptions to natural gas supply (like halted LNG) are making the pressure worse instead of easing it.
  3. There is growing pressure on the president to end the war to stabilize energy markets, but there are political and strategic options that could let him buy time and continue the campaign.

More Cowbell

Doomberg • 6232 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy
  1. The EU's large bureaucracy keeps repeating sanctions out of institutional momentum, so policy changes are hard even when past packages have not achieved their goals.
  2. The drop in Russia's oil and gas revenues looks driven more by global price declines and market forces than by sanctions, and signs like a strong ruble suggest sanctions haven't shattered the economy.
  3. Major players such as Rosatom remain able to do business with European partners, highlighting big gaps and contradictions in the sanctions regime where strategic energy and technology ties are preserved.

Reading List 02/06/2026

Construction Physics • 12318 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. US construction productivity is slipping because technological progress is slow, land-use rules are restrictive, and measurement problems hide the full picture.
  2. House price growth tracks average income growth more than median income, so affordability problems are tied to top-end income gains; renting costs less than owning in major metros and builders are pushing big programs to fill a large housing shortfall.
  3. Federal permitting uncertainty is delaying many wind and solar projects, but political opinion and industry moves are nudging solar forward, with new domestic panel manufacturing, landfill and rooftop deployments, and legislative proposals to create permitting certainty.

Grid Socialism

Doomberg • 7522 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Rapid buildout of intermittent renewables like wind is creating reliability gaps — Finland’s turbines iced up, hydro and nuclear couldn’t fully cover demand, and there isn’t enough battery storage to bridge shortfalls.
  2. The EU is pouring hundreds of billions into high-capacity interconnectors to knit countries into a giant grid so excess renewable output in one place can offset shortages elsewhere.
  3. Linking grids spreads both power and price: imports kept Finland’s lights on but raised Swedish prices, and deeper integration risks making electricity costs more uniform — and higher — across the region.

Top Links 1035 Chinese and American fiscal exceptionalism. How the UK ended coal & Keynes on the "short run", in which we are "still alive”.

Chartbook • 729 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
đź’° Finance Energy Policy
  1. China and the United States each diverge from the average OECD fiscal structure, but they do so in opposite directions.
  2. There is coverage of how the UK ended coal, tracing the policies and shifts that led to coal’s decline.
  3. The piece revisits Keynes’s view of the 'short run', highlighting his comment about being 'still alive' and its implications for policy.

A Brief History of Times

Doomberg • 8466 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The administration is pushing oil companies to invest in Venezuelan oil to help lower prices, but Exxon warns Venezuela is currently uninvestable and needs major legal and commercial reforms before it would return.
  2. Exxon’s disciplined, long-term, risk-averse culture clashes with the president’s improvisational, rhetoric-driven, fast-changing approach, creating clear tension between the company and the administration.
  3. That clash matters beyond headlines: the dispute could have big effects on energy markets and U.S. foreign policy, especially regarding how the U.S. handles Venezuela and its posture toward Russia in the coming years.

Making Sense of the EPA Endangerment Finding Rule

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 3974 implied HN points • 14 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. The EPA formally rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding and the vehicle greenhouse-gas rules by reinterpreting key words in the Clean Air Act, and it says this decision is based on legal reasoning rather than new claims about climate science.
  2. EPA's core legal claim is that vehicle emissions would have only a minuscule effect on global temperature and sea level, so they do not materially "contribute" to pollution that can "reasonably be anticipated to endanger" health or welfare, meaning the costs of regulation would outweigh de minimis benefits.
  3. The rule’s future is legally uncertain and could be overturned in court, and there is a clear opportunity for Congress to clarify the Clean Air Act and craft a bipartisan, coherent approach to greenhouse-gas policy.

March 20, 2026

Letters from an American • 27 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Attacks have escalated to hit major Gulf energy infrastructure like the South Pars gas field, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and forcing countries to declare force majeure on oil exports.
  2. The U.S. appears to have coordinated strikes and is preparing to send thousands of troops and possibly seize key oil facilities, while congressional Republicans are largely avoiding public oversight and the White House is packaging the war with entertainment-style messaging.
  3. The war is driving up oil prices and inflation, hurting markets and adding huge economic costs, and most Americans disapprove of the military action, especially if it raises gas prices.

Gas prices are set to go vertical

Silver Bulletin • 781 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Gas prices are likely to spike sharply soon because oil production and shipping in the Gulf are being disrupted, and short-term forecasts put U.S. pump prices possibly in the $4.50–$5.00 range or higher.
  2. A rapid, large increase in gas prices could hurt the president politically, since voters punish inflation and he campaigned on lower fuel costs; his casual response may amplify the damage.
  3. Even though Iran alone isn’t the biggest oil producer, attacks on other Gulf producers and the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz threaten about 30% of global oil supply, creating a big supply shock and major uncertainty.

How Reality Destroyed Europe’s Green Energy Dreams

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 811 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Europe's once-strong push for aggressive net-zero and green energy has fractured. Skyrocketing energy costs and economic realities made those plans hard to sustain.
  2. Recent geopolitical turbulence, especially the war in Iran, has driven up oil and natural gas prices and put extra pressure on European economies and energy policy choices.
  3. Early political enthusiasm for big carbon prices and rapid green transitions is now meeting resistance as voters and governments prioritize affordability and energy security over ambitious climate goals.

puerto rico and the princess of darkness

bad cattitude • 184 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Puerto Rico’s electrical grid is chronically unreliable, with frequent long outages and extensive deferred maintenance that LUMA has so far failed to remedy.
  2. LUMA hired Janisse Quiñones, an executive with a controversial track record in LA utilities and at PG&E, and many critics worry her history of mismanagement signals more trouble ahead.
  3. There’s a recurring pattern of sending politically connected but problematic officials to Puerto Rico, which fuels local frustration and concern that this hire will worsen the island’s power problems.

The Great Climate Reset

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 3680 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. The public and policy conversation has shifted quickly from apocalyptic climate messaging to a more pragmatic, energy-realism approach.
  2. Single-issue climate advocates will stay vocal and prominent in elite institutions, but their priorities may be out of step with broader public concerns.
  3. Even with a retreat from catastrophism, climate change still poses uncertain long-term risks, so sensible energy, adaptation, and evidence-based policies remain necessary.

Greenland has a 'vital strategic asset'

The Crucial Years • 4115 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Greenland's massive ice sheet is its most important strategic asset because if it melts it could raise global sea levels by many feet and disrupt ocean currents, changing climates and flooding coastlines worldwide.
  2. Talk of seizing Greenland is a dangerous, colonial-minded idea that would violate Greenlanders' sovereignty, strain international alliances, and overlooks that most Greenlanders oppose joining the U.S.; Greenland has already banned new oil exploration and relies largely on renewables.
  3. Practical climate action works and matters: community organizing, clean transport like e-bikes, and renewable projects (from floating offshore solar to solar on reclaimed Superfund land) can help, but policy choices — for example on energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes — will determine who benefits and who pays.

Would you rather have cheap energy, or stupid culture wars?

Noahpinion • 38588 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The proposed budget bill includes new taxes on solar and wind energy, which could make energy more expensive for Americans. This might hurt the growth of renewable energy sources that could help reduce electricity costs.
  2. By raising taxes on clean energy technologies, the bill could lead to job losses in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector. This is particularly concerning for regions that have benefited economically from these industries.
  3. The bill reflects a broader cultural battle against non-fossil fuel energy. Its supporters seem more focused on ideological beliefs than on economic or environmental benefits, which could have long-term negative effects on energy prices and reliability.

Europe's foremost pantsuit retard Ursula von der Leyen calls abandoning nuclear power "a strategic mistake" – fifteen years after supporting the nuclear phase-out

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 228 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy
  1. In 2011 she supported Germany’s nuclear phase-out, saying Fukushima proved a worst-case accident could happen even in high-tech countries.
  2. Germany’s shutdowns and efforts to persuade other European nations away from nuclear have cut nuclear’s share of power and are blamed for higher energy costs and weaker industrial competitiveness.
  3. Now she says abandoning nuclear was a strategic mistake and urges the EU to lead in nuclear technology, but Germany’s government maintains its national phase-out is irreversible.

March 17, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. A U.S. military campaign has helped close the Strait of Hormuz and driven oil prices sharply higher, disrupting global supplies of oil, gas, fertilizer, helium, and aluminum; meanwhile Russia is aiding Iran and the U.S. appears poorly prepared after cutting energy-diplomacy staff and decommissioning minesweeper capabilities.
  2. The war is fracturing the president’s coalition, with allies and officials resigning or distancing themselves and warning that the administration may no longer control how or when the conflict ends.
  3. The president is using the crisis to push domestic political goals—attacking the Supreme Court and pushing a voter ID/proof-of-citizenship law that could remove millions from the rolls while urging filibuster changes—just as rising gas prices threaten his working-class support.

The Introduction of Formal QA to Nuclear Power

Gordian Knot News • 102 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Energy Policy
  1. The AEC turned vague goals (Criterion 1) into mandatory but open‑ended QA rules (Appendix B), leaving huge discretion to regulators and enabling continual escalation of requirements.
  2. Formal QA became self‑reinforcing: more inspections and reported nonconformances generated more demands for tests and paperwork, driving up costs and sometimes crowding out real quality enforcement.
  3. A pragmatic, layered inspection model — yard QC, independent classification inspectors, and owner inspectors — can enforce quality effectively without drowning projects in paperwork, unlike the paperwork‑focused regulatory approach that wasn’t even applied internally.

Turnabout Is Fair Play

Doomberg • 6597 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Rare earth elements, especially neodymium, are crucial for the electric vehicle and wind energy industries. These materials are used in high-performance magnets that power modern technologies.
  2. China currently has a strong grip on the global supply of rare earths, using this leverage in its economic dealings. This situation highlights the irony of China’s reliance on coal even as it promotes green energy.
  3. The US is making significant investments to reduce its dependency on China for rare earths. There’s potential for the US to utilize its coal resources to help close the gap in rare earth production.

They've Got You Buying and Selling

Bet On It • 392 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy
  1. Modern protectionism is inconsistent and ad hoc: it attacks both buying from foreigners and selling to them depending on which group complains, rather than following a clear principle.
  2. Exports like housing, tourism, and energy can raise local prices and spark backlash, but that same price effect would apply to any export, so singling out certain sales is arbitrary.
  3. Trade is a form of technology that creates abundance and overall gains, and since progress always hurts some people, the wiser response is to boost production and help the losers rather than block trade.

A grinding, pivotal year ahead

The Crucial Years • 4025 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. The 2026 midterm elections are pivotal and could either entrench authoritarian power or give people the leverage needed to protect democracy and advance climate policy.
  2. The federal government is actively blocking renewable projects and privileging fossil-fuel interests, using shaky national-security and political rationales that hurt jobs, energy independence, and the climate.
  3. Despite political headwinds, clean-energy momentum keeps growing — cheaper solar, rooftop adoption, booming e-bike use, and agrivoltaics are real wins — while huge fossil projects like the Alaska LNG pipeline look risky and likely to burden taxpayers.

Solar as Solidarity

The Crucial Years • 2471 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Small plug-in solar systems are cheap, quick to install, and can supply meaningful electricity for apartments and homes. They provide portable, reliable power during outages and help people become more self-reliant.
  2. Current rules and utility restrictions block plug-in solar in many places, but changing laws would make these systems far cheaper and more accessible. Campaigns and state bills are working to legalize plug-in solar so renters and apartment dwellers can benefit too.
  3. Large-scale solar and battery storage are essential to cut emissions and save money, but national policies, tariffs, and industrial choices determine how fast deployment happens. Places that support deployment see rapid growth, while hostile policies or trade barriers can slow progress.

Stupid people in Baden-WĂĽrttemberg hand massive electoral victory to the Greens so they can continue to sacrifice their industry to the weather gods

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 178 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy
  1. The Greens narrowly won the Baden-WĂĽrttemberg election and look set to lead the government, with the CDU a close second. This outcome likely means continued focus on green energy policies that critics say could hurt industrial competitiveness.
  2. The CDU’s campaign errors and its refusal to consider partnering with the AfD weakened its bargaining power, while the AfD made notable gains among workers. That shift is reshaping coalition possibilities and political leverage in the state.
  3. The SPD and FDP suffered heavy losses, shrinking centrist opposition and changing future coalition dynamics. Many observers blame past energy decisions, like the nuclear phase-out, for high electricity prices and long-term industrial decline.

March 15, 2026

Letters from an American • 31 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The president appears to have launched and escalated a war without a clear endgame or serious planning. He claims Iran’s military was destroyed while also asking other countries for help and saying he was surprised by Iran’s responses.
  2. Iran can claim victory simply by surviving and can leverage control of the Strait of Hormuz to pressure the world through oil disruptions. The U.S. remains tied to global oil markets because its refineries and the types of oil it produces mean it can’t easily use all the oil it makes.
  3. The administration is pushing to reshape and punish the media, including threats to broadcasters and praise for friendly ownership, which undermines press freedom. Mixed messages and misleading claims from officials show internal turmoil and widespread misinformation.

The NRC Swarm

Gordian Knot News • 168 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. The nuclear regulatory system acts like a swarm: individual inspectors just follow rules, but the system as a whole keeps tightening radiation limits and creates costly, sometimes absurd requirements.
  2. Fossil fuel prices used to limit how expensive regulated nuclear could get, but big taxpayer subsidies for reactors and moves to outlaw fossil dispatch remove that cap and let regulatory-driven costs soar.
  3. The proposed remedy is a complete overhaul of nuclear regulation: the current swarm-like system must be replaced with a reorganized regulatory framework, for example via a Nuclear Reorganization Act.

Pretend you're running for Congress

The Crucial Years • 1783 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Keep the energy message simple: talk about affordability and the basic promise that clean energy is cheap, creates jobs, and can lower electric bills, using clear examples people understand.
  2. Policy is currently increasing electricity demand (think data centers and AI) while blocking cheap wind and solar, which drives up prices and effectively makes working families subsidize fossil fuel interests.
  3. Clean energy is winning globally — faster EV adoption, cheaper and more efficient solar like perovskites, big green finance, and new recycling tech mean we should accelerate renewables and protect public health rules now.

Actuarial Examinations

Doomberg • 17538 implied HN points • 22 May 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The U.S. nuclear energy sector has struggled since the 1970s due to regulatory changes that focused more on safety than on promoting nuclear energy. This shift caused a significant slowdown in the construction of new reactors.
  2. The Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model treats all radiation exposure as harmful, preventing advancements in nuclear medicine and technology, which could potentially save millions of lives.
  3. Recent moves by the Trump administration aim to change how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission operates, promoting faster building of new nuclear power plants and enhancing energy production to match other countries like China.

Inside the Interconnection Queue

Construction Physics • 27559 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. There are currently over 11,000 energy projects waiting to connect to the US electrical grid, with a total capacity that is nearly double what currently exists. This shows a huge demand for new power sources.
  2. The waiting time for projects has increased to over 5 years, causing delays in getting new energy infrastructure built. This bottleneck is a significant issue for the growth of renewable energy projects.
  3. Most upcoming projects are focused on renewable energy like solar, wind, and batteries, representing around 90% of planned capacity. This shift highlights a strong move towards cleaner energy across many states.

March 13, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 14 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. The administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil to try to ease soaring oil prices, a move that critics say directly benefits Russia and drew pushback from G7 allies.
  2. The U.S. military campaign against Iran is expanding without a clear political goal and has mixed messaging from leaders. That approach risks wider disruption, including closure of the Strait of Hormuz and increasing civilian casualties.
  3. Key decisions show poor preparation and weakened oversight: negotiators lacked technical expertise, offices that limited civilian harm were slashed, and internal dissent and aggressive rhetoric are raising legal and ethical concerns about how the war is being run.

Sunblock

Doomberg • 11128 implied HN points • 14 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. California's energy system is struggling because it has shifted away from reliable sources like nuclear and natural gas in favor of solar power. This change has made it harder to manage the electricity supply effectively.
  2. A major fire at California's large battery storage facility caused serious environmental damage and highlighted the risks of relying too much on green energy solutions without a solid backup plan.
  3. The government's new bill may worsen California's energy crisis by cutting tax credits for green energy projects, which could halt new installations and leave the state without enough power during peak demand times.

If you want the public to support nuclear, make it cheap

Gordian Knot News • 161 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Public support for nuclear power mainly depends on cost — people will back it if it delivers cheap electricity.
  2. Survey wording matters because many respondents pick "somewhat" rather than "strongly," showing pragmatic, conditional support instead of ideological commitment.
  3. If nuclear were priced near its realistic "should-cost," it would likely win broad approval since most people just want cheap, reliable, low-emission power.

A Red Team Climate Report

The Honest Broker Newsletter • 7988 implied HN points • 30 Jul 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. A new climate report from the U.S. Department of Energy encourages open debate about climate science. It challenges some widely accepted views and aims to include differing opinions.
  2. The report's author believes climate change is real but not the biggest threat humanity faces. Instead, they argue that global energy poverty is a more pressing issue.
  3. The DOE is inviting public comments on the report for a more transparent discussion. They want to learn from feedback instead of just defending their conclusions.

Trump's executive orders: Five big takeaways

Noahpinion • 23706 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship is very controversial because it changes who can be a citizen based on their parents' visa status. Many believe this could lead to legal battles in court.
  2. His orders to limit environmental reviews have received praise as they could make it easier to get projects approved faster, addressing some concerns about long approval times.
  3. There is a growing perception among some that Trump's policies are targeting not just illegal immigration but also skilled legal immigration, which could affect America's ability to attract top talent.

We could produce a lot of electricity on the land used for biofuels

Sustainability by numbers • 620 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy
  1. Putting solar panels on the roughly 32 million hectares now used for biofuels could generate about 32,000 TWh, which is roughly the world’s current annual electricity demand.
  2. That same land could easily power an all-electric global car and truck fleet (around 7,000 TWh), showing solar plus electrification is far more land-efficient than growing biofuels.
  3. Biofuels cannot realistically decarbonize aviation: using all current biofuels for jets would at best cover about one-third of demand, and collecting all waste cooking oils would only supply roughly 4%.

Plenty to Spare

Doomberg • 7585 implied HN points • 28 Jun 25
🌍 World Politics Energy Policy
  1. Global demand for oil, natural gas, and coal reached all-time highs in 2024, showing that despite efforts for renewable energy, fossil fuels still dominate our energy supply. This suggests that we still rely heavily on traditional energy sources.
  2. Russia's natural gas production has rebounded, making it a significant player in the global market. Much of this gas is consumed domestically, but there’s still a portion available for export.
  3. Europe is planning to ban Russian gas imports by 2027, which raises questions about how they will meet their energy needs without it. This situation will likely change global energy markets for years to come.

Former CIA Venezuela chief is raiding clients from Rubio-affiliated lobbying firm while the US continues seizing oil tankers

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 996 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Energy Policy
  1. Enrique de la Torre, a former CIA station chief for Venezuela, left the Rubio-linked Continental Strategy to start Tower Strategy and brought four clients with him.
  2. Tower Strategy’s initial clients include Odyssey Marine (which has a history of international legal scandals), Bitdeer, T1 Energy, and UGT Renewables/Sun Africa, so the firm represents a mix of controversial and strategic energy/tech interests.
  3. De la Torre and his partner James Story openly back aggressive U.S. action to oust Maduro while U.S. forces have been seizing Venezuelan oil tankers, and their career moves reflect a broader pattern of ex-intelligence officials moving into lobbying and foreign-agent work that can carry legal risks.